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Flashback to the '80s

Power Balladz will be performing during Motion's Prom Night Flashback. Submitted Photo

The punch is spiked, streamers and banners are hung and the red carpet has been rolled out.

Yes, it’s time to get ready for a little “Prom Night Flashback” at the Historic Holmes Theatre, set to take place this Saturday, April 20, at 7 p.m.

This year’s Motion fundraiser for the theater’s arts outreach programming is going retro.

“We’ve turned this year’s Motion on its end,” said Holmes Theatre Executive Director Amy Stoller Stearns. “Everything’s going to be happening in the theater instead of the ballroom.”

There will be no dinner, although some appetizers and beverages will be served. Instead, the evening will be, literally, a flashback to what for many attendees is an indelible memory from the days of their youth… Prom Night.

“Many people loved their prom night experience,” said Stearns. “But even for those who didn’t, I think the music of the ’70s and ’80s still resonates with a lot of people.”

And that’s where the band Power Balladz comes in. The group will be presenting its live show — described by the New York Times as “a loving tribute to the heyday of the hair band” — which features some of the best music of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

“It’s really a big concert, followed by a dance,” Stearns said. “We’ll be putting in a dance floor at the front of the theater.”

“It’s going to be so different from what it’s been in the past,” said Terry Haus, a member of the Motion planning committee.

“We’ll have classic cars out front, and we’ve got a great committee working on all the decorations and activities that will go into making the evening unique,” said Stearns. “We’ll even be crowning a ‘Prom King and Queen’ at the end of the night.”

Community members can vote for their favorites at participating businesses including La Barista, the DLCCC and Holmes Theatre, Bremer and Midwest banks, Bleachers, Jonathan’s, Marco, Lake Ridge Dental and Lakeshirts, as well as during the event itself.

Of course the fundraiser will also include such Motion staples as Gatherings to Go (unique local outings including pontoon rides, gourmet dinners and more that will be available to purchase), and both live and silent auctions, with all proceeds to benefit the various arts outreach programs that have become an increasingly large part of the theater’s activities.

“The Holmes Theatre is about so much more than shows,” said Holmes Theatre Marketing Director Viva Klundt. “Not that the shows aren’t terrific, but we have Mosaic Mania, and all the artists going out into the schools…”

“In March alone, we reached almost 2,000 people through our arts outreach activities, at nursing homes, the hospital, the Silver Sneakers program, and lots and lots of schools, in Detroit Lakes, Lake Park-Audubon and Frazee-Vergas,” Stearns added.

Though guests are encouraged to dust off their old prom dresses and tuxes (complete with ruffled shirts and bow ties) and get into the spirit of the evening, “You can come in an old concert t-shirt and jeans if you like,” Stearns said.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, please stop by the Holmes Theatre Box Office at 826 Summit Ave., Detroit Lakes, call 218-844-7469, or visit the Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center website at www.dlccc.org (click on the Historic Holmes Theatre tab).

Staff writer at Detroit Lakes Newspapers for the past 16 years, currently editor of the entertainment and community pages as well as covering city council and the Lake Park-Audubon School Board. Living in DL with my cat, Smokey.